01/06/2009

Ohio State Offers Unique Online Forum for Animal, Plant Disease Diagnostics

Writer:

Mauricio Espinoza
espinoza.15@osu.edu
(330) 202-3550

Source:

Daral Jackwood, Center for Diagnostic Assays, OARDC
jackwood.2@osu.edu
(330) 263-3964

WOOSTER, Ohio — Ohio State University’s Center for Diagnostics Assays (CDA) has launched a first-of-its-kind Internet forum aimed at bringing together animal and plant disease diagnostics professionals in a single, convenient place to share the latest information on diagnostic issues and technologies.

DiagnosticSpeak — a free, Web-based interactive tool available at http://www.diagnosticspeak.com — is a valuable resource for any professional who works with diagnostics, including university researchers studying infectious diseases and food safety; large- and small-animal veterinarians and technicians; industry personnel monitoring herd or plant health; professionals in trade and industry associations; federal and state government scientists, including veterinarians and diagnostic laboratory personnel; private diagnostic laboratory professionals; and manufacturers of assays and reagents.

“Although there are multiple platforms for researchers to uncover information about infectious disease diagnostics, there is no single site known for quick collaboration between academicians, industry, manufacturers, government and other professionals working to diagnose diseases in animals and plants,” said CDA Director Daral Jackwood, a molecular biologist with the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC).

Worldwide in scope, DiagnosticSpeak seeks to connect the scientific community of infectious disease investigators with each other and with the end users of diagnostic tools. “If someone has a question about a disease, test or technology, they can come to the site and find the right person with the right answer,” Jackwood explained.

Among other goals, the forum seeks to facilitate the exchange of ideas about how to more efficiently conduct diagnostic assays; discuss and better understand the meaning and value of diagnostic assay results; explore new diagnostic technologies; keep up-to-date on new and emerging diseases; search for hard-to-find reagents, assays, kits and samples; and promote collaborations between academia, industry and government laboratories.

Users of this Web site will find forums that address their particular interests and needs on a wide variety of areas, including bacteriology, parasitology, entomology and vectors, food safety, assay technology, and many others. The forum also provides technical information on various diagnostic tools and specific diseases.

To guarantee the integrity of information posted to the site, each forum at DiagnosticSpeak has assigned moderators — experts in the field — who will contribute to and monitor thread content.

“As a scientific community of infectious disease investigators, ultimately bonded together to protect America’s food supply, DiagnosticSpeak could prove to be the secret weapon that networks academia, industry, and corporate and government officials together in a single location,” Jackwood concluded.

For more information about DiagnosticSpeak.com, and to inquire about corporate sponsorships, contact Jackwood at (330) 263-3964 or jackwood.2@osu.edu.

Based on OARDC’s Wooster campus, CDA (http://oardc.osu.edu/cda) is an interdisciplinary team of nationally and internationally recognized experts on both plant and animal diseases, working to develop diagnostic tools essential to the health of crops and livestock as well as to the safety of our food supply.

OARDC is the research arm of Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.

-30-